Helis Oil and Gas announced Tuesday that it will not move forward with a controversial fracking operation in an area of St. Tammany Parish.

The company, based in New Orleans, said the decision came after exploratory drilling this summer at the site off Highway 1088 in St. Tammany Parish.

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"Helis has determined that the prospect lacks appropriate commercial viability, so the company will not pursue the project any further," the company said in a statement.

Helis said it will permanently abandon the well and secure the site in accordance with regulatory requirements and its leases. The company has suspended the air, water and noise monitoring that it instituted before beginning the exploratory drilling.

Parish leaders have been notified of the decision to end the project. Helis said it contacted business and civic leaders about the update. The company said that if the site were more viable, it would have moved forward with fracking beginning this fall.

"While we are disappointed the well was unsuccessful, exploratory projects such as this one involve a substantial risk of failure which we accept as part of our business. We can terminate this project knowing that we conducted our operations without a single complaint regarding noise, traffic or environmental impacts," the company said.

When the project was first announced, some community members objected over concerns about air quality and the safety of the area's drinking water.

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